Expandable surface modular cutting board system

ABSTRACT

A modular cutting board system comprised of a plurality of cutting boards is disclosed. In this invention, individual cutting boards can be retentively conjoined to other cutting boards of the same or similar make through magnetic holding force, provided by magnets disposed in the non-working surface sides of the cutting boards, to produce a larger working surface. This invention allows for the optional use of magnetic assemblies in place of magnets alone to increase holding force and prevent magnetic interference with steel utensils. Other optional embodiments include rubber gaskets to produce watertight seals and complementary protrusions and recessions to aid in alignment at the conjoining sides. Importantly, this plurality of cutting boards can be easily detached from a conjoined state and into individual cutting boards. This quality of the present invention improves sanitation through easier cleaning and also facilitates storage, compared to large and unwieldy cutting boards.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 61/462,290, filed on Jan. 31, 2011 by Brad Karalius and Todd Karalius.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not applicable

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A modular cutting board system comprised of a plurality of cutting boards is disclosed. In this invention, individual cutting boards can be retentively conjoined to other cutting boards of the same or similar make through magnetic attractive force in order to produce a larger working surface. The magnetic attractive force is provided by magnets disposed in the non-working surface sides of the cutting boards. This invention further allows for the optional use of magnetic assemblies in place of magnets alone to prevent magnetic interference with steel utensils. This invention also further allows for optional rubber gaskets attached to the cutting board non-working surface sides that are to be conjoined to provide a potentially watertight seal between the conjoined cutting boards. This invention also further allows for optional complementary protrusions and recessions along the conjoining cutting boards' sides to aid in alignment. Importantly, this plurality of cutting boards can be easily detached from a conjoined state and into individual cutting boards. This quality of the present invention improves sanitation through easier cleaning and also facilitates storage, compared to large and unwieldy cutting boards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to kitchenware, specifically to a modular cutting board system. The modular cutting board system is comprised of a plurality of cutting boards where individual cutting boards, all of the same or similar make, can be retentively conjoined together by magnetic force to thereby expand the working surface. The magnetic force is provided by magnets and magnetically attractive members disposed in the sides of these cutting boards.

2. Description of Prior Art

Cutting boards are produced in varying sizes that are designed to cater to the size requirements of a specific job. Typically, consumers will purchase various sizes of cutting boards for their kitchens to cover the wide range of tasks performed. Large cutting boards are often needed, but are difficult to clean in small sinks and store in cramped areas. In food industry settings, very large cutting boards are needed and cannot be washed in a sink or dish washer due to their excessively large sizes, thereby compromising sanitation. The present invention seeks to rectify the aforementioned issues by disposing magnets in the sides of cutting boards, thereby allowing two or more cutting boards to be conjoined into a single larger working surface through magnet-to-magnet or magnet-to-steel communication. This feature allows these separate cutting boards to be conjoined using magnetic force. Subsequently, the boards can be detached with ease through the application of physical force in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic communication. This quality of the present invention allows the user to assemble an appropriately-sized working surface to cater to the job at hand. This invention also improves sanitation because large assembled working surfaces can be broken down and cleaned in sinks or dishwashers, as opposed to very large cutting boards that cannot fit in sinks or dishwashers. Additionally, this invention facilitates storage, compared to large and unwieldy cutting boards.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,841, issued to Bruce A. Durr, describes cutting boards that may be attached to one another using a rigid connection formed by interlocking keyed tongues and grooves, and includes attachable handles. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,519, issued to Curt L. Lilja, allows for two or more cutting boards to be conjoined through mutually-opposing, vertically-extending recesses and projections, and includes the option of a knife guide attachment. U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,748, issued to Ted Thompson and Mike Neshat, also allows for additional cutting boards to be attached, but does so through structural hinge pins on a non-wooden board, with focus on using the invention for outdoor use. The present invention, however, offers an improvement over the described prior art in that magnetic forces are used as the fastening mechanism instead of unaesthetic tongues, grooves, recesses, projections, or pins. The present invention is also potentially not as susceptible to wear and tear at the conjoining interfaces as the described prior art due to its simplified geometry at the conjoining interfaces.

Magnets have been used in earlier cutting board patents, but their function is entirely different from the administered use intended in the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,011, issued to Kevin W. McLaughlin, uses magnet bases attached onto a polymer backing that allows for the cutting boards to be stored on refrigerators. Alternatively, U.S. Patent 20100019430, issued to Ralph J. Ferone, uses magnets to attach a cutting board to a base unit with sufficient spacing between the cutting board and base unit so that a food collection tray may be positioned beneath the cutting board, but does not mention the use of magnets to secure cutting boards directly to one another. Additionally, U.S. Patent 20090014935, issued to Lingdong Zeng, uses magnets for attaching food type-specific cutting board panels atop a base unit. Also, U.S. Patent 20090283952, issued to Jenna Sellers, uses magnets to facilitate holding cutting board panels together in a stacked orientation.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a cutting board system that uses magnetic attraction as the mechanism for conjoining cutting boards to produce a single larger working surface.

Another object of the invention is to allow for the cutting boards to be detached from one another by light-to-moderate physical force so that they may be cleaned and stored with greater ease than a large cutting board.

Another object of the invention is to use magnetic assemblies to focus the magnetic fields on the exposed magnet surfaces so that greater holding strength may be achieved. This feature will also ensure that steel utensils are substantially uninfluenced by the magnets during their operation on the cutting board working surfaces.

Another object of the invention is to provide the option of elastomer gaskets attached to one or both sides of the cutting boards to be conjoined, resulting in a potentially watertight seal at the conjoining interface.

Another object of the invention is to provide complementary protrusions and recessions on opposing sides of cutting boards that are to be conjoined so that these cutting boards may be aligned horizontally and vertically when conjoined.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a modular cutting board system comprised of a plurality of similar cutting boards that can be conjoined through magnetic force. This invention will allow a person to choose the number of retentive-conjoining-capable cutting boards required for the size of the task at hand. In practice, where one cutting board can accomplish a task requiring a small work area, such as slicing cheese, attaching an additional cutting board or multiple additional cutting boards would enable the preparation of a large serving of food items. Furthermore, this plurality of conjoined cutting boards can be easily detached into individual cutting boards. This quality of the present invention results in easier cleaning of these cutting boards and consequently improved sanitation, as well as easier storage, compared to large and unwieldy cutting boards.

The magnets will be positioned within the non-working surface sides of the cutting boards, on at least one dimension, with their magnetic poles facing outwards from these sides. Although many options for magnetic materials exist, neodymium magnets are preferred in this invention for their superior strength. The use of magnetic assemblies, for example a cylindrical magnet contained within a steel cup, is also preferred because magnetic assemblies concentrate magnetic fields on the magnetic assembly surfaces and particularly in the direction of magnetization. Additionally, these magnetic assemblies reduce the magnetic field strength in the directions towards the working surfaces of the cutting boards. This characteristic can result in a negligible amount of magnetic communication with steel knives that may be used on the cutting board working surfaces.

Elastomer or plastic gaskets may also but not necessarily be attached to either or both conjoining surfaces of the cutting boards to provide a watertight, or near watertight, seal at this interface. The attachment of these gaskets may be permanent or removable so that they may be removed to be cleaned separately or replaced.

The cutting board sides housing the magnets or magnets and magnetically attractive members may also but not necessarily feature complementary protrusions and recessions. These complementary protrusions and recessions can act as alignment guides when conjoining the cutting boards together and also hold them together in proper alignment once conjoined.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of two cutting boards, designed in accordance with the claims of the present invention, where complementary magnets, per their magnetic pole orientations, are positioned along only the dimensionally longer sides of the cutting boards.

FIG. 2 is a side view of two cutting boards, designed in accordance with the claims of the present invention, where complementary magnets, per their magnetic pole orientations, are positioned along only the dimensionally longer sides of the cutting boards.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of two cutting boards, designed in accordance with the claims of the present invention, where complementary magnets, per their magnetic pole orientations, are positioned along only the dimensionally longer sides of the cutting boards and gaskets are attached to one of these longer sides of each cutting board.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a cutting board, designed in accordance with the claims of the present invention, where two protrusions are featured along the magnets-containing side of the cutting board. These protrusions aid in the alignment of this cutting board with a second cutting board possessing both complementary recessions and complementary magnets or magnetic attractive members when the cutting boards are conjoined.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a cutting board, designed in accordance with the claims of the present invention, where two recessions are featured along the magnets-containing side of the cutting board. These recessions aid in the alignment of this cutting board with a second cutting board possessing both complementary protrusions and complementary magnets or magnetic attractive members when the cutting boards are conjoined.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Each cutting board, made out of a food grade material, including wood, wood composite, bamboo, paper composite, rubber, plastic, acrylic, glass, stone or metal. It is preferred that the cutting board material is a structurally stable material, such as edge grain wood panels, bamboo, bamboo plywood, wood composite, paper composite, rubber, plastic, acrylic, glass, stone, or metal because the mechanism for conjoining the cutting boards is dependent upon each cutting board maintaining its original geometry. Each cutting board will also be rectangular or square in shape, with one or more magnets disposed in either the non-working surface lengthwise, widthwise, or all sides of the cutting board. The magnets will be set at standard distances along the sides of each cutting board so that one cutting board's magnets will be aligned with an adjacent cutting board's magnetically attractive members to form a retentive connection between these cutting boards. This connection thereby expands the total working surface. In this arrangement, cutting boards can be connected to each other in either the “x” or “z” dimensions, according to the perspective of a person facing towards a work station.

The magnetically attractive members mentioned above may be oppositely magnetized magnets or opposing steel faces. The magnets may be positioned approximately flush with the sides in which they are embedded, including being recessed a very small distance from these sides to ensure that the conjoining sides make flush contact before the magnets do. Additionally, the magnets on a given side of one cutting board may instead be positioned protruding outward from the side in which they are embedded. The oppositely magnetized magnets or opposing steel faces on another cutting board would then be recessed to the same distance as the described protruding magnets, or vice versa, to aid in cutting board alignment when conjoining is performed. Alternatively, a given side of a cutting board that contains magnets positioned approximately flush to the sides in which they are embedded may instead contain one or more structural protrusions. These protrusions would interact with complementary recesses in the side of another cutting board that contains oppositely magnetized magnets or opposing steel faces, also seated approximately flush to the sides in which they are embedded. These features would again aid in cutting board alignment when conjoining is performed because the protrusions and complementary recessions would act as guides to properly align the cutting boards.

FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of two cutting boards that are designed in accordance with the claims and general vision of the present invention. Here, one set of magnets with like-poles (e.g. north poles) facing outward (1) is positioned in one side (2) of each cutting board. The complementary pair of magnets (south poles-facing-outward magnets in this scenario) is not visible in this figure. These pairs of magnets are shown as being recessed to a very small degree so as to ensure that the cutting board sides housing the complementary pairs of magnets come into contact with each other before their embedded magnets do. The shorter sides (3) of these cutting boards, shown as having beveled edges (4), do not house magnets. The top faces, or bottom faces, of the cutting boards (5) will serve as the working surfaces for where cutting or food preparation is performed. Importantly, this depiction is only one visioning of the claims of the present invention and does not represent the full scope of the claims listed herein.

The mechanism by which these cutting boards described in FIG. 1 may be conjoined offers several benefits over conjoining mechanisms utilized by the prior art. The lack of slots, hinges, or other non-magnetic structural locking mechanisms; the cutting boards' sides angled 90 degrees from the working surface faces; and the strength of the magnetic fields projected from the cutting boards' magnets will create a near seamless union at the interface between the cutting boards of the present invention. The cutting boards of the present invention also have less potential for wear and tear due to the simple rectangular geometry of these cutting boards. Additionally, there is an aesthetic value to the magnetic conjoining mechanism of the present invention over the prior art because pins, hinges, grooves, cutaway slots, or puzzle-like protrusions are not used.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of how the two cutting boards of FIG. 1 are positioned just prior to conjoining. Here, the side (2) of the cutting board shown on the left is embedded with the north pole-facing-outward magnets (1). The south pole-facing-outward magnets are embedded in the other side of this cutting board and are not shown in this figure. The second cutting board of the same make is shown on the right and the depicted cutting board side (7) is embedded with south pole-facing-outward magnets (6). As such, each cutting board will have the capacity to conjoin with any other cutting board of the same or similar make, contingent upon the placement of magnets or magnets and opposing steel faces along the cutting boards' sides. The depicted slight recessing of magnets in these cutting boards will allow for a flush fit between the cutting boards when conjoined. Importantly, this depiction is only one visioning of the claims of the present invention, and does not represent the full scope of the claims listed herein.

FIG. 3 shows an isometric view of two cutting boards, designed in accordance with the claims and general vision of the present invention, where gaskets (8) are attached to one of the longer sides of each of the cutting boards. Again, complementary pairs of magnets (1 and 6; 6 not shown) are recessed to a very small degree within the cutting board sides in which they are embedded. This recessing creates a distance gap between the complementary pairs of magnets when the cutting boards are conjoined. A potentially watertight seal will be achieved when the cutting boards are conjoined because the complementary pairs of magnets will attract each other and pull the cutting boards together, partially closing the distance gap and compressing the elastomer gasket between the coupled cutting boards. Importantly, this depiction is only one visioning of the claims of the present invention and does not represent the full scope of the claims listed herein.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a first cutting board that features additional protrusions (9) from the side (2) that contains the north pole-facing-outward magnets (1). The south pole-facing-outward magnets are embedded in the other side of this cutting board and are not shown in this figure; this side also features complementary recessions to these depicted protrusions. The second cutting board of the same make is shown in FIG. 5 and the depicted cutting board side (7) is embedded with south pole-facing-outward magnets (6). This side features additional recessions (10) that are complementary in their geometry to the protrusions of FIG. 4. These complementary protrusions and recessions are shown as tapered cylinders. This tapering allows for an initial margin of error when bringing the cutting boards together but results in tight alignment once the cutting boards are conjoined. These complementary protrusions and recessions also aid in holding proper alignment of the conjoined cutting boards. Alternatively, complementary concave and convex hemispheres, ridges and troughs, or similar structures may also be used to aid in such alignment. Importantly, this depiction is only one visioning of the claims of the present invention, and does not represent the full scope of the claims listed herein. 

1. A method for conjoining a plurality of cutting boards for culinary purposes at their non-working surface sides, comprising: a. providing a first cutting board having at least one non-working surface side in which at least one magnet is disposed, b. providing at least one additional cutting board having at least one substantially similarly dimensioned non-working surface side in which at least one magnetically attractive member selected from the group consisting of a steel object, an oppositely magnetized magnet, and so on is disposed, whereby a human can create a single larger working surface having an area equal to the sum of the individual working surface areas of said plurality of cutting boards through the retentive conjoining of said plurality of cutting boards.
 2. The method of claim 1, further including gaskets made of material selected from the group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, elastic polymer, and so on, mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards, whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.
 3. The method of claim 1, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which at least one said magnet is disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which at least one magnetically attractive member is disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said one or more magnets are magnetic assemblies that are oriented with their exposed magnet faces facing perpendicular to and away from the sides in which they are disposed, whereby the holding force of the magnets are greatly increased and steel utensils operated in the proximity above the conjoined edges of the plurality of cutting boards shall be substantially uninfluenced by the magnetic fields produced from said magnetic assemblies due to the quality of magnetic assemblies to concentrate magnetic fields on their surfaces and particularly in the direction of magnetization.
 5. The method of claim 4, further including gaskets made of material selected from the group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, elastic polymer, and so on, mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards, whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.
 6. The method of claim 4, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which at least one said magnet is disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which at least one magnetically attractive member is disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.
 7. The method of claim 5, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which at least one said magnet is disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which at least one magnetically attractive member is disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.
 8. A plurality of cutting boards for culinary purposes, comprising: a. a first cutting board having at least one non-working surface side in which at least one magnet is disposed, b. at least one additional cutting board having at least one substantially similarly dimensioned non-working surface side, c. magnetically attractive means disposed in said side of said additional cutting board for conjoining said additional cutting board to said first cutting board, whereby a human can create a single larger working surface having an area equal to the sum of the individual working surface areas of said plurality of cutting boards through the retentive conjoining of said plurality of cutting boards.
 9. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 8, further including gaskets made of material selected from the group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, elastic polymer, and so on, mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards, whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.
 10. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 8, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which at least one said magnet is disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which at least one magnetically attractive member is disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.
 11. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 8 wherein said one or more magnets are magnetic assemblies that are oriented with their exposed magnet faces facing perpendicular to and away from the sides in which they are disposed, whereby the holding force of the magnets are greatly increased and steel utensils operated in the proximity above the conjoined edges of the plurality of cutting boards shall be substantially uninfluenced by the magnetic fields produced from said magnetic assemblies due to the quality of magnetic assemblies to concentrate magnetic fields on their surfaces and particularly in the direction of magnetization.
 12. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 11, further including gaskets made of material selected from the group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, elastic polymer, and so on, mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards, whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.
 13. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 11, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which at least one said magnet is disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which at least one magnetically attractive member is disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.
 14. A plurality of cutting boards for culinary purposes, comprising: a. a first cutting board having at least one non-working surface side in which at least one magnet is disposed, b. at least one additional cutting board having at least one substantially similarly dimensioned non-working surface side in which at least one magnetically attractive member selected from the group consisting of a steel object, an oppositely magnetized magnet, and so on is disposed whereby a human can create a single larger working surface having an area equal to the sum of the individual working surface areas of said plurality of cutting boards through the retentive conjoining of said plurality of cutting boards.
 15. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 14, further including gaskets made of material selected from the group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, elastic polymer, and so on, mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards, whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.
 16. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 14, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which at least one said magnet is disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which at least one magnetically attractive member is disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.
 17. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 14 wherein said one or more magnets are magnetic assemblies that are oriented with their exposed magnet faces facing perpendicular to and away from the sides in which they are disposed, whereby the holding force of the magnets are greatly increased and steel utensils operated in the proximity above the conjoined edges of the plurality of cutting boards shall be substantially uninfluenced by the magnetic fields produced from said magnetic assemblies due to the quality of magnetic assemblies to concentrate magnetic fields on their surfaces and particularly in the direction of magnetization.
 18. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 17, further including gaskets made of material selected from the group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, elastic polymer, and so on, mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards, whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.
 19. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 17, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which at least one said magnet is disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which at least one magnetically attractive member is disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.
 20. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 18, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which at least one said magnet is disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which at least one magnetically attractive member is disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining. 